Thank
you very much for allowing me to visit your blog today, Wings of Paper, to make my very special
announcement!
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| Sophie Andrews |
In
fact, rather than making my own announcement, I am going to let the wonderful
Caroline Jane Knight, Jane Austen's 5th great niece, tell you all!
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| Caroline Jane Knight |
lives today. They say life is about what you leave behind and I couldn’t be more proud of Great Aunt Jane’s legacy, my inspiration for the Jane Austen Literacy Foundation. As Jane’s popularity continues to grow, I wanted to extend her legacy by harnessing the global passion for Austen to improve literacy rates. Literacy is the key to self-improvement and unlocking potential. Reading and writing are essential skills for anyone who wants to understand, enjoy and influence the world around them. The foundation raises money to help create CONFIDENT READERS and PROUD WRITERS by providing FREE books and writing materials to communities in need around the world, in honour of Jane. We are a volunteer organisation with all monies raised spent on literacy resources and fundraising activity. We are currently raising funds to provide literacy resources for the displaced children of Syria, delivered on the ground by UNICEF.
I only joined Facebook a year ago and was amazed to
discover a world of Austen, involving Janeites from around the world,
enthusiastically and vibrantly celebrating and discussing all aspects of Jane’s
life and works. With over 7000 websites and social
media profiles associated with Jane, there is a never ending stream of content
to keep even the most ardent Janeite engaged.
One in particular caught my eye; “Laughing with Lizzie”,
a young woman who seemed to have a lot of fun dressing up in regency costume,
visiting Jane’s former homes, participating in Austen events and sharing it all
with thousands of followers in a well written blog. I
was intrigued. Why did this young woman dedicate her time to
celebrating Jane Austen? I reached out and arranged to
talk to the woman behind the blog, Sophie Andrews. Sophie is
a delight to know personally and her journey with Jane truly heart-warming, a
story I will leave for Sophie to share.
Before discovering Austen, Sophie wasn’t a big reader but
the discovery of the magic that lay in the pages of Pride & Prejudice, that
just got better with every read, changed that and was the start of Sophie's
love affair with the written word. As a
keen writer herself, Sophie was able to imagine the frustration of wanting to
write but having no paper or pen and without hesitation offered to help promote
the foundation.
I am pleased to announce Sophie Andrews, aka “Laughing
with Lizzie”, as an Ambassador for the Jane Austen Literacy
Foundation. We are thrilled to have Sophie’s support to
help us create CONFIDENT READERS and
PROUD WRITERS, in honour of Jane."
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| Sophie Andrews |
Thank
you Caroline for such kind words, and more importantly, for allowing me the
opportunity to be an ambassador for such a worthwhile charity. It is an honour
and I am very much looking forward to doing all I can to help the charity!
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| Sophie Andrews |
As Caroline mentioned, Jane Austen has been very
important in my life, for many different reasons. I was
just 9 when I saw the 2005 film version of Pride and Prejudice, but I was a
little too young to fully understand the language, so it didn’t really make an
impression on me. I watched that film a few more times and as I grew up I began
to fall completely in love with it! But I still wasn’t hooked on Jane
Austen, it was just Pride and Prejudice – or actually, to be more accurate, I was
just hooked on Mr. Darcy! However, back in 2011 I was going to be studying Pride
and Prejudice for my English exams, and so that summer I had to read
it - you have to understand that at the time I really wasn’t a reader. However,
given I enjoyed the film, I was looking forward to it. When I was on my summer
holidays I read it in a week. I just couldn’t put it down! It seemed
strange to my family to see me engrossed in a book, as I guess I used
to be like Emma Woodhouse in regards to books and reading! Pride and
Prejudice was amazing from start to finish, and from that point I was caught up in the elegance and eloquence of Miss Austen's
world and words!
I re-read Pride and Prejudice straight
afterwards and I really enjoyed studying it at school, becoming the class
expert. Following this, I read Sense and Sensibility, then Emma, followed by
Persuasion, Northanger Abbey and finally Mansfield Park. There was no stopping
me! Having devoured the 6 main stories, I devoted myself to studying all aspects of the Jane Austen phenomenon, from the film
and television adaptations, to the fan fiction, commentaries, critiques,
information books and biographies, as well as the worldwide online Jane Austen
community. There was no going back now - I had become a true and proud
Janeite.
Fast
forward a year or so, and after a lot of 'persuasion' (if you'll excuse the
pun!) from a friend, I eventually started my blog, "Laughing WithLizzie". It was my space
to rant and rave about my passion for Jane Austen. It was also my escape; I was
having a hard time at school and some family illnesses at the time (that is a
whole other story I won't go into now!), and so I really threw myself whole
heartedly into the world of Jane, enjoying my escape into her world through her
books, and subsequently my blog. Slowly, slowly my blog becamemore well known,
and then about a year and a half ago I started my facebook page.
From there, I have no idea how, but so many amazing things have happened for me
and I have participated in so many wonderful events. I have to pinch myself
every day, as it is all beyond my wildest dreams.
Fast
forward again to a few months ago, when I noticed a certain Caroline Jane
Knight had liked my facebook page. I sent Caroline a message of thanks, and
before I knew it, I was actually talking to Jane Austen's descendant on skype!
Caroline told me all about growing up Chawton House, and about her charity she
has recently founded. I was fascinated by both, but the foundation really
caught my attention; a charity that was using Jane's popularity and her legacy
to do some good in the world. It really hit home with me, given how much Jane
Austen has changed my life. We continued to skype every few weeks, until
Caroline asked if I would be an ambassador for the charity. As you can imagine,
I jumped at the chance!
I
mentioned earlier how I never used to be a reader, well, the truth is that I had never read another ‘proper’ book before Pride and
Prejudice! Jane Austen brought me to
reading, and so being able to have the opportunity to help bring the joy of
reading to others, as Jane did for me, is truly wonderful.
The foundation is also helping to create proud writers, as well as confident readers, and this is also something
I really would like to help in promoting, for, without the ability to write, I
would not be sitting here right now writing this post. I would not have had a
blog full stop.
Jane Austen really has been a huge influence in my
life, even in just 5 years! As I cannot thank Jane Austen personally for all
she done for me, this opportunity to help use her legacy to bring the ability
to read and write to others seemed like the perfect way of saying thank you to
Jane for bringing reading, and to a certain extent writing, to me.
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| Sophie Andrews and Simon Langton |
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| Sophie Andrews and Simon Langton |
Once again I would like to say a big
thank you for allowing me to come onto your blog to share my special
announcement with you and your readers. I did not come empty handed either, I
am able to say that I have a fantastic competition to enter!
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| Sophie Andrews |
COMPETITION:
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| 4 Sydney Place |
Bath Boutique Stays have been so kind as to offer a 1 Night Mid-Week stay for two in an apartment at 4 Sydney Place, Jane Austen’s former Home in Bath.
All you need to do to enter to win this fabulous prize, is to predict the following question:
How many steps is it from Lizzy
Bennet’s Penthouse Apartment to the carriage awaiting her at the front door of
4 Sydney Place?
(Three flights of stairs and the
hallway.)
Please
email you answers to Lucy Bennett (her real name!) at lucy@bathboutiquestays.co.uk
and the person who guesses the correct - or comes closest to it! - amount of
steps will win!
The competition entries end on 2nd October.
Thank you so much for allowing me to share my news. It is such an honour that I want to tell anyone who will listen - so thank you!
RispondiElimina